Pros, Cons of Two State Bills Dealing With Non-Profit Hospitals

Lawmakers are debating two bills in the California Legislature dealing with community benefits provided by not-for-profit hospitals.

SB 346, by state Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont), would establish accountability standards to measure the amount of community benefits provided by tax-exempt private, not-for-profit hospitals. The bill is co-sponsored by the California Nurses Association, the Greenlining Institute and the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation.

AB 1046, by Assembly member Matt Dababneh (D-Encino), is designed to align federal and state community benefit laws and provide greater transparency and consistency in the reporting and disclosure of investments made by not-for-profit hospitals. This bill is sponsored by the California Hospital Association.

We asked legislators, hospital officials and consumer advocates to discuss pros and cons of these two proposals and asked whether the state would benefit if either bill became law.